


Tainted Present

by HyperKey



Series: Tainted [6]
Category: Metal Gear
Genre: AU, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-20
Updated: 2016-03-20
Packaged: 2018-05-27 22:44:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6303103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperKey/pseuds/HyperKey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The last part of the bonus oneshots  for Tainted Souls.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tainted Present

**Author's Note:**

> The last part! Whoo!   
> I have to say that I really started to like this AU and that I might use it in other fics as well. Not quite sure about it though haha.  
> Hope you enjoyed it so far, i'm sorry it took so long. 
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, don't be shy, i don't bite :D

John stared at the big building when he opened the door of the car. Being back after two weeks felt like eternity. Everything was familiar and it still felt as if everything had changed. Slowly he got out, stumbled at the weight of his backpack. It had also been a strange experience to go back to his dorm room. He had barely slept, the sense of normalcy after everything he learned felt like a lie.

“Did…” John muttered, not sure what he wanted to say at all. “…Did you ever get used to all this… strange stuff…?” he asked his father as he peeked into the car.

The man looked at him with a small smile. “You just stop questioning it one day.”

“That sounds like giving up…”

“Coping mechanisms…”

John shook his head and lifted an eyebrow. “You sure you don’t wanna go back?”

“…I already lost the Job at the elementary school. No doubt I’d lose this one too.”

“You’re running again.” John sighed. “Look, dad, everyone likes you. Well … they like their teacher…”

Jack sighed, slowly got out of the car and shut his door. He walked over to John and took his backpack.

“I’m fine- give it back!” John complained, but the man was already walking towards the building. John grunted in annoyance, shut the car door with more force than necessary and hurried after his father as fast as his legs currently allowed. Running was still impossible, and standing without constantly trying to figure out his center of gravity was difficult. Dok had told him that he’d get used to it soon. For now he didn’t see it, but that was the least of his worries.

His father had already entered the building and John struggled to catch up. He wanted to see his father’s face when he noticed what Lisa, Core and a few others had planned out for the past three days.

The entrance hall was completely empty, something quite unusual at 7:50 am. John pretended he had no idea what was going on when his father glanced around in confusion.

“…Did I miss something?” He asked silently.

“No idea.” John muttered. There was no one to be seen. For a moment he was afraid that everyone had just given up on the plan, then he reeled back in surprise and bumped into his father as balloons rained from the ceiling and people came running into the hall, yelling and throwing confetti.

John smirked once he realized what was going on, his joy dimmed when he saw the expression of his father. The man had tensed, fists clenched and eyes darting around. It took him a long moment to understand that nothing bad was going on.

“Ruhe!!” Core yelled from the upper level. He was standing there with every teacher, arms crossed. Slowly everyone stopped talking. John had a hard time to hide his grin and kept pretending he had no idea what was going on.

“I’m Core, the guy who got suspended for hacking something he shouldn’t have. By now everyone knows what happened because Lisa couldn’t shut up about it,” Core said, some people complained about him talking in English, others laughed but they quieted down soon enough. “John, I’m sure everyone knows him. He’s the guy who set the standards for the last exam so high that no one got close to it-“

A grumble filled the room.

“Anyway, He had a bit of trouble in the past weeks. He’s back now, and I hope we can still be friends, even after I acted like a jerk.”

John felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. “Get to the point already, Core!” He yelled up to his friend.

Core cleared his throat, obviously nervous to speak in front of so many people. “Everyone also knows Mister Scott. Great teacher, bit of a scary guy, especially when he’s upset, but over all a nice teacher.”

John felt satisfied when everyone tried to find said teacher next to Core.

“…There was a reason why he had to disguise himself… so the teacher we knew actually looks different.”

John grabbed the sleeve of his father as he tried to move away. “Stay, he’s not done yet.”

“But-“

“Shh!”

Core sighed silently and was ushered away by the principal. “Mister Scott. No. Mister Sears.  We have contemplated about removing you from this position. Obvious reasons, you see. However, over the past few days the office was flooded with Students who begged me on their hands and knees - I am not kidding- to keep you as a teacher. I like to see commitment like this, I also enjoy when students try everything they can to achieve their goals. You have to thank your students and everyone who has come to like you, that we are not removing you. I’d like to talk to you in person later.”

With that the principal and the other teachers walked away, only Core left standing up there.

John looked at his father who stood there as if lightning had struck him. The students around him were chatting, slowly heading to their classes. The ones who still stood there were all part of John’s philosophy class.

“You knew they planned that, right?” Jack asked silently, stared into space.

“Of course I knew. Otherwise that wouldn’t have worked out.”

“…Son of a-“

John smirked. “A what? I agree. My parents are pretty strange. But I still love them.”

“You’re as sneaky as your mother.” Jack whispered, sat down on one of the chairs at the side of the hall and shook his head.

John sat down next to him.

“Why would they want to keep me…?

“Lisa and Core organized this. Ask them.”

“And you had nothing to do with it?” Jack asked with a slight smirk.

The teen shook his head. “It… wasn’t entirely my idea. I may have bribed them a bit… with free pizza and stuff like that, though…”

“They’d find a new teacher in no time.”

“But you’d be jobless then…” John sighed. “…and you seemed to like it here.”

The older man sighed, leaned back at the chair. “Thank you…”

“It’s okay… I mean those were the weirdest two weeks of my life. I really don’t want to do anything like this again.”

“Wouldn’t want you this close to this again either…”

John grinned. “You know what, dad?”

“What?”

“You’re amazing.”

John watched with a grin as his father laughed nervously and tried to hide that he was blushing in embarrassment.

“I… better talk to the principal then…”

The teen nodded slowly as his father stood. “I’ll pay for the maintenance myself, alright?” John quickly said as the man was about to leave.

Jack froze for a moment, then took a deep breath. “I won’t stop you.”

“You have enough to pay. Geez, did you see that bill?”

The man scoffed. “That’s nothing new to me, trust me.”

“You could buy a car with that.”

“Almost, yeah. Which I also need since mine was totaled.”

“I’m sorry…” John apologized.

“This would have escalated anyway. Sooner or later, who knows.” Jack crouched down in front of his son. “If this had happened without you knowing who I really was, things might have not ended like this.”

“I wouldn’t be a cyborg for one thing.” John muttered.

Jack smirked and placed a hand on the teen’s shoulder. “It could be worse.”

John nodded. “I’m …really glad you’re there.”

“I’m glad you’re there, too.”

The teen sighed. “The principal wanted to see you.”

Jack stood again, smiled slightly. “I thought about getting a bigger apartment.”

“I’ll think about moving in with you two… I thought the hotel staff was going to kick you two out the past three nights!”

John laughed when his father’s eyes widened and he hurried to the principal’s office. The past weeks really made him appreciate that his life was as boring as it had been. Even though he still had a lot of questions he wanted to ask his father.


End file.
